Hanging Knife (11)
When Li Qi returned to the county lord's mansion from the prison, it was already dark. A few stars were hanging in the inky sky, twinkling and illuminating the spring scenery in the courtyard.
Qinglan's footsteps could be heard behind Li Qi. Qinglan walked up behind her, lifted her wet long hair, and wrung it dry while asking, "Did the county lady see the master today?"
Li Qi rocked the rocking chair under her and hummed casually, "I see." She looked at the colorful wild flowers in the hazy moonlight outside the window, feeling depressed and unable to cheer up.
She will never forget what Feng Siji said in prison, but she really can't give or respond anything. For her, who only regards Feng Siji as a tool, "never forget" is the greatest emotion.
Qinglan was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "What does the county lady think? Do you really want to go to the palace? With your current abilities, even if you want to refuse, Eunuch Li Ke will take care of it for you."
Li Qi said in a deep voice: "Of course I have to go. If I don't go, how can I get rid of His Majesty and the Queen?"
She said this calmly, as if getting rid of His Majesty's queen was as easy as drinking a sip of water. Qinglan was so frightened that her hands and feet froze, and she couldn't describe how she felt for a moment.
She knew that Li Qi had always been brave, and even without wings, she had the courage to fly to the sky. However, having courage did not mean that everything would go smoothly. If one wanted to do something shocking, one had to endure the sharp blades and burning fire that ordinary people could not endure.
But Li Qi has that kind of courage. She can endure, bear and endure. What's more difficult is that she can give up emotions that ordinary people cannot give up and be selfish.
When you only care about your own interests and ignore other people's feelings, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort in everything you do.
But Qinglan believes that people live with the word "love" from beginning to end. When they are children, it is the love between parents and sisters. When they grow up, it is friends and classmates. When they grow older, it is the person next to them.
If you lose even this, what's the point of living?
The wind blew in from the window, brushing against her hands and face, making her feel cool. Qinglan suddenly came to her senses, twisted Li Qi's hair, and sighed, "But if the county lady leaves, then what about the adults..."
Before Qinglan could finish her words, Li Qi turned around and glared at her sharply, "Do you think I've let him down?"
The coldness in her voice startled Qinglan. She knelt down hastily, looked at Li Qi in fear and said, "I dare not."
Li Qi stood up from the rocking chair, walked around to Qinglan, and ruthlessly exposed Qinglan in a cold voice: "I'm afraid I know better than you what you are thinking. You must think that Feng Siji has done so much for me that even a heart of stone should be warmed and melted, right?"
Qinglan lowered her head and dared not speak.
The air was silent for a long moment, with only the wind whimpering beneath the eaves. In the silence, Li Qi suddenly sneered, "Since you think so, let me ask you, I deceived him in Qianzhou, schemed against him, and used him, but then I became his forbidden lover for nearly a month in the Treasury of Gold. He threatened me with the Night Fragrance. Does that count as revenge, and do I repay him?"
Qinglan's shoulders trembled slightly, and she slowly raised her head. She saw that Li Qi had retreated to the window at some point. The night outside the wide-open window was as dark as ink, reflecting her thin figure.
She didn't move, as stiff as a wooden sculpture, except for her hoarse voice which contained a slight, barely perceptible tremor and sob.
"Since Qianzhou, has anyone ever forced him to do anything?"
Qinglan seemed to be drawn in by her strong and cold temperament, and answered unconsciously: "No..."
"For my birthday, he gave me weapons. When I saved my life, he tried to help me deal with He Zhangjing and the others, even risking his life with them. Later, he wanted to take the blame for me. Have I ever forced him to do any of these things?"
Qinglan's voice weakened: "Never..."
"Since I never forced him, it was all just his wishful thinking. Between men and women, it's all about mutual consent. Since he was willing, I don't owe him anything. So whatever happens to him has nothing to do with me. Why should I let his wishful thinking bind my conscience?"
Li Qi turned around, staring at her with a clear, insightful gaze that made Qinglan's breathing difficult. She adjusted her breathing and said with difficulty, "But the county lady promised him that if he took the blame for you, you would marry him..."
Li Qi laughed out loud and said coldly, "He was the one who brought up the idea of taking the blame. So, if I wanted to get out, I had to lie to him. I didn't do anything wrong. He was too kind and easily trusted others. If I had brought it up, asking him to take the blame for me, with the bargaining chip being that I marry him, then I would be scheming. Do you understand the cause and effect between us?"
Qinglan was stunned for a moment and shook her head honestly.
"You may not understand, but both the deceived and the deceiver are just trying to gain benefits based on their own abilities. The deceived should blame themselves for being too stupid, not the scammers for being too rampant. Don't even think about using your so-called conscience to bind me. It was all his wishful thinking from the beginning to the end."
A murderous look flashed across Li Qi's cold eyes: "Let me remind you one last time, you are his maid, so naturally you think about him in everything. This is human nature, and I understand.
"But since he has pointed you to me, from now on, no matter how much you care about him, you must hide well and be loyal to me. If you can't do that, leave the County Lord's Mansion now and return to his Feng Mansion."
Li Qi looked down at Qinglan's already panicked face and asked, "Can you do it?"
Qinglan slowly lowered her head: "I understand, I will be loyal to the county lady."
"Go pack your things and prepare to go to the palace."
"yes."
Qinglan got up from the ground and took her bag to pack her belongings.
Looking at her busy figure, Li Qi suddenly thought that Qinglan had never served in the County Lady's Mansion and might not be able to clean up completely.
Thinking of this, Li Qi walked to the front area and started to clean up personally.
Li Qi took down all the books that she often read from the shelf and put them in a box. She also took out a few bright red clothes, but some undershirts were gone.
Qinglan was worried that something might be missing, so she opened the boxes and checked them back and forth. After confirming that nothing was missing, she stood up and said to Li Qi, "County Lady, everything has been packed."
Qinglan tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Could it be a little less?"
Li Qi looked at the two red boxes on the ground. They contained all the things she needed to take with her. Two boxes were indeed too few for her status.
But it was enough. Li Qi took a look and felt that something was missing, so he instructed Qinglan: "Tell Yeshu to go back to the Golden Pavilion and bring Jueyin with him."
"yes."
After finishing all this, Li Qi took a foot bath and then lay down on the couch. Qinglan covered her with bedding, blew out the candle, and quietly retreated to the outer room to keep watch.
Li Qi lay there with her eyes closed for a while, but she had no desire to sleep. She simply opened her eyes, turned over and faced outside. She saw moonlight pouring through the window, casting a light silver-gray color in the room.
She suddenly remembered that in the attic as high as the Treasury, the moon seemed very close to her, as if she could pick it up with her fingertips.
The secret of the Treasury Pavilion was not leaked except to a few close people.
But Feng Siji's actions in Qingqi Temple during the day were known to everyone. The royal family valued their reputation, so why did Emperor Liang insist on his previous idea of summoning him into the palace?
This was a bit abnormal, and Li Qi paid close attention to it.
Li Qi fell into a drowsy sleep. She didn't know how long she had slept when she was suddenly awakened by a knock on the door.
Li Qi opened her eyes and saw that the sky was already turning pale and gray, and dawn was about to break.
The knocks on the door stopped, and Qinglan came in with a cup of steaming water. She lit a candle to dispel some of the gloom, came to the bed, opened the curtains, and helped Li Qi to her feet. "County Lady, you have to go to the palace today, so get up early and wash up. Also, He Zhangjing is crawling over here."
Hearing He Zhangjing's name, Li Qi woke up as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on her. Still lying on the couch, her eyes were open and clear: "Did he really crawl over here?"
Qinglan took the red robe from the shelf. Knowing that Li Qi didn't like being helped to dress, she just handed it to her and said, "Yes, it's outside the mansion."
"Go and have a look."
Li Qi got out of bed, took the red robe and put it on, washed up casually, and then led Qinglan out of the house.
The two gatekeepers were on duty. Seeing Li Qi approach, one of them stepped forward and explained the situation to Li Qi. "He's covered in wounds. He was beaten by the people on his way here. Bah! He deserved it for doing such a shameless and cowardly thing!"
Li Qi listened and looked at He Zhangjing.
He Zhangjing was covered in blood, lying on the steps in front of her house, his hair disheveled and covering half of his face. The other half that was exposed was pale and his lips were chapped.
Li Qi took a few steps forward and stood in front of him, her pair of cloud-soled shoes stopping just in front of his cheek.
"How does it feel to be hated and beaten by everyone?" Li Qi lowered her head and smiled at He Zhangjing.
He Zhangjing was no longer able to respond to her ridicule. He reached out his bloody and dirty hand and grabbed the corner of her clothes tightly. "Li Qi, you promised... that you would protect them."
Li Qi raised her foot and kicked him away. He had no strength left and rolled down the stairs. His forehead hit the hard blue brick road, leaving a small hole from which blood gushed out.
Li Qi walked down the stairs step by step and squatted in front of He Zhangjing. The cold crimson hem of her skirt swayed across his bloodstained, pale cheek. She smiled deeply and said, "When did I promise you that I would protect them? And who are they?"
He Zhangjing's eyes widened, tears glistening in his eyes, a look of confusion in his eyes. "I put so much effort into crawling here. Those people along the way nearly beat me to death and spat at me so much, and you actually... played a trick on me?"
Li Qi laughed even louder upon hearing this. She couldn't help but stand up, stomping her foot on his shoulder bone and crushing it hard. The sound of bone cracking echoed with her colder voice, "When you came here, you must have been filled with hope, believing that I would fulfill my promise and protect them. Just like when I came to Kyoto from Qianzhou, full of hope, waiting for the person who gave me that necklace to appear."
He Zhangjing was stunned and froze on the ground, forgetting even to cry out in pain.
Li Qi looked down at him, his eyes like the statue of Yama in Qingqi Temple, looking down at everyone, without any mercy or sympathy, only endless coldness.
"You've experienced what it's like to have your hopes used as a knife. But that's not enough. I want you to watch everything you care about destroyed before your eyes, just like I saw Yunzhou fall before my eyes."
After Li Qi finished speaking, he took two steps back and turned his head to instruct Qinglan: "Take him in and lock him up in the woodshed."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
